SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) -A Santa Fe author says the search is finally over for his controversial hidden treasure. Forrest Fenn confirmed with KRQE News 13, someone has found the treasure he hid more than 10 years ago.

Forrest Fenn’s grandson told KRQE News 13 over the phone that his grandfather isn’t going to be saying much today. However, he did say it is true, the treasure is no longer up for grabs.

This all started when Fenn published his memoir called “The Thrill of the Chase.” In the book, he gives clues to a treasure chest he hid in the Rocky Mountains that was supposedly worth around $3 million.

Over the years, thousands of people went looking for the hidden loot, some even losing their lives in the process. Fenn has given little clues along the way but has described what the area might look like if someone stumbled upon it. “If I was standing where the treasure chest is, I’d see trees. I’d see mountains,” Fenn has said.

That hint led an Albuquerque man to a place in Cimarron last year, where he thought he had found where the treasure once was. Fenn quickly told KRQE News 13, the man was wrong.

The post showed up on a blog dedicated to Fenn’s writings and information on the treasure hunt Saturday evening. Since then, news of the potential finding has spread over the internet.

In a statement to KRQE News 13, Sunday, the Santa Fe millionaire says today’s news comes after more than 500,000 people went looking for the treasure over the past 10 years. Here is his full statement:

“Yes, the treasure chest has been found and retrieved, but not before about 500,000 searchers hiked through the Rocky mountains having a good time looking for it. It had been hidden for 10 years and now that it’s over I would like to congratulate all of those who exerted effort in the search.”

Forrest Fenn

KRQE News 13 tried asking Fenn for more specifics on the location of the treasure and the person who found it. Fenn never responded to our questions.

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